


Dirty Laundry

by Gabriels_Mourning



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 07:46:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8703712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriels_Mourning/pseuds/Gabriels_Mourning
Summary: Started off as an exercise in just good ol' Smutty Mergana, but it kind of got sidetracked, so there's a degree of fluff in there as well.  Merlin and Morgana meet in the modern times when they both wind up at the same coin operated Laundromat.  Merlin is quiet and Morgana is a loose canon.  Hope you like it.  I chose not to list rape/non-consent in the warnings, but you could almost maybe kind of say that there's hints of it in there.  Mostly Morgana having her way with Merlin.  And lets face it, it's not REALLY non-con when you would do anything for it, really...  As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated.





	

Dirty Laundry Moments

Morgana stared accusingly at the washing machine that was dripping all over her floor.  Towels and wadded up clothing kept the lapping floodwaters at bay, but not for long.  The bath was filthy, having been the only place to empty the buckets she’d been mopping into for the last twenty minutes, so that was out, which sucked rancid ball sack, because Morgana would have killed for a long soak.  And she had work on Monday, which meant she needed to get this sorted pronto.  But payday wasn’t until midnight on Sunday, which was very inconvenient given how often Morgana liked to spend money, particularly on the weekend.  This week, though, would have to be very lean indeed.  She began to collect her clothing into plastic bags and sit them by the door, before going back to mopping.  The tap was off; it was just that the washing machine had been full when it decided to go the way of the dinosaurs.  But that was mostly handled.  What was that chant that Morgause had wanted her to say when she was angry?  Breathe in, Breathe out, Drink more, Smoke.  If you’re still pissed after it, go get laid?  She pulled out her phone, wishing she’d had time to grab more wine.  Wine always made housework more deal-able.  Or at least helped not caring be a more appealing option.  When all her dirty clothes and towels were collected, and the floor mopped, Morgana dumped the bucket and mop in the bath and grabbed a hoodie to cover her filthy hair and the white singlet she’d been wearing, and took out her phone.  Surely there was a laundromat around somewhere.  They still had those… right?  She took a deep breath and then looked down at herself and wished that she hadn’t.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

They DID still have laundromats, as it turned out, but the problem lay in the fact they didn’t take card.  There wasn’t even a change machine in the one she’d found that was at least open until a reasonable hour of eleven pm.  Defeated, Morgana began to put the laundry back into the plastic bags until her nails went right through the tie and the bag fell back, splitting open and emptying its contents into the industrial strength washer that sat laughing in front of her.  Morgana refused to cry because of a washing machine conspiracy.  In fact, this made the trip to the bottle shop even more appealing.  Behind her, a male voice cleared his throat gently.  She whirled around, ready to rage at him for being impatient, but stopping short.  He was holding up a sealed sandwich bag with dollar coins in it. 

“Alright then?”  Gratitude flooded through her and she looked down as she blushed girlishly.  To her horror, she realised that her hair was greasy and horrid and still tucked up in the bun beneath her hoody, and that she stank of stale water and laundry.  She even wore grubby sneakers.  On the other hand, his tight jeans looked good enough for him to go out in, even if the printed tee had a Marvel image beating up a DC Logo on it.  “They’re too hard to beat up on.” 

“Huh?”  She blinked, wondering if he was referring to his tee shirt, but she didn’t think she’d been staring.  Confusion shook her contemplations, and the young man took off his knitted cap and indicated the washing machine.

“When they frustrate you, you’ll only hurt yourself if you kick them.”  She HAD been about to, but she wasn’t going to let this cute stranger know that he was talking to a psycho who assaulted white goods.  Even if they WERE involved in a conspiracy.  He did a double take when she levelled her sex eyes at him.  He was just her type, but he wasn’t about to know that until she was ready for him to.

“Thanks.  Guess I owe you one.”  She took the bag and turned around to read the instructions.  She put the coins in the slots and then pulled open the tray to put the laundry liquid in.  Which was sitting on the shelf at home where she’d put it while swearing at the carcass of her washer.  She closed her eyes at her own idiocy, before heading back to the guy and his notably cute bottom.  His blue eyes slid into hers as he straightened and wordlessly handed her two packets of laundry liquid, the expensive kind with the dissolvable pillows for easy handling.  He blushed again when she bit her lip, sex eyes on full.  She went back and put the coins and the laundry liquid in, and sat down, putting her headphones in and closing her eyes.  The sign on the wall had said the machines would run for about twenty minutes, so four songs later, she checked the machines.  One was finished and the other was winding down, so she tucked her earphones back in and set to transferring them to the dryers.  The last of the coins went in, and she sat back down.  At the other end of the laundromat, the young man was reading a book and stealing glances at her with a distracted frown on his face.  Trying to figure out if she was flirting with him and why.  Another four songs later and the dryers were finished; both of them this time.  She inverted the garbage bags she’d brought the clothes in, and stuffed the dry ones into the bags and hoisting them over her shoulder.  As she went to leave, she turned at the door, catching him staring at her rear.  She smirked at him as she jerked her chin towards the clock. 

“Same time next week?”  He did an adorable impression of a goldfish as she sauntered out the door, not waiting for him to respond.  All in all, it hadn’t been as much of a lost evening as she thought it would be.  Morgana smiled as she got into her car and turned her music up for the drive home.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

She didn’t bring him coins the following week, but brought her own and dinner for them both in the form of Chinese.  She ate with a plastic fork, and glared at him with a mock scowl when he effortlessly used the chopsticks.  She still used his laundry liquid, and took the name of it to buy some for herself.  They didn’t bother with their names, but they sat outside as they waited for the laundry to finish.  He was at school, looking to finish a vet science degree, and wrote fiction in the meantime for the local paper.  She was struggling through an art’s degree when all she really wanted to do was paint.  When she said that, he laughed, knowing full well what it was like to have to study something you loved and desperately trying not to let the fun be sucked out of it.  To that effect, they were both struggling a bit with where they were going.  Morgana leaned in close to him as he lit her cigarette.  Her hair was much cleaner this time, and her perfume lingered in the air until the tobacco smoke buried it. 

“Ever feel you’re in the wrong time-period?” she asked. 

“I used to,” he shrugged.

“What happened?” she asked as she exhaled and pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose.  He smiled and somewhere deep in the back of her mind, Morgana realised that she wanted to see more of his smile.  Suddenly, she wished she’d brought some chewing gum or a travel bottle of mouthwash in case she wanted to kiss him. 

“I met a reason to stay.”  Yup.  Mouthwash, next time.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

The next week, he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.  Morgana left the Chinese in the car and sat in the laundromat for an hour, to no avail.  No Laundromat Guy.  She missed him, and felt cheated of their time together, which she looked forward to during the week.  They hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers or names, or shagged or snogged even, but still, she felt cheated.  She went home and stuffed the laundry into the brand-new washing machine that hadn’t been used and pulled out the instruction manual.  Then put it down and went to get a glass of wine.  She turned on the lamp and sat on the couch to read it and tried to forget why she was so upset.  After all, she’d only met the guy twice.  So what did it matter?  She drained her wine.  But it DID matter.  That was the weird part.  She missed his goofy face.  He was a guy, and could almost be a friend.  Except she didn’t have any guy friends.  Guy friends didn’t want to miss out on her party ways.  But he wasn’t… he didn’t seem like that.  No.  She was sure of it.  He wasn’t like that.  She argued with herself until the bottle of wine was empty, and then washed the clothes and went to bed.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

She debated whether to go the following week.  What if he wasn’t there?  Was it a slight?  Would she ever know what happened to him?  It was ridiculous, she scoffed as she pulled up at the parking lot.  A girl could go mad thinking about this shit. Her smile broke out when she saw his old wagon sitting there with the trunk up and Laundromat Guy himself hauling laundry bags out of it.  She pulled up and slung her bag over her shoulder, forgetting momentarily to lock the car. 

“Hey!” she called as she hurried to catch up with him.  He greeted her with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  “Where were you last week?  Is there another laundromat I need to know about?” she joked.  She’d been overthinking it, trying to come up with the perfect line that conveyed how she wanted to spend time with him and that theirs was a special time she valued, and that he’d just left her hanging last week.  He laughed hollowly and Morgana frowned. 

“I had a… thing.”  His voice was terse and angry, and Morgana took it on the chin somewhat. 

“Ok.”  She shrugged.  “No worries.”  She moved past him, hurt.  The door opened and she kneed it hard as he felt him move behind her to open the door for her like the gentleman he was.  She lurched into the room somewhat embarrassingly, but she didn’t get him to open the door for her, which brought a strange satisfaction.  She started to fill the washing machines with her clothes and watched him reach into his bag, but she’d brought her own liquid after last week and ignored him, which gave her another surge of satisfaction when he pulled the packet up out of the bag and then stared, somewhat crushed at her casual use of her own packet.  He dropped it into the bag and stood for a minute, staring at her.  Morgana gave him a small smile of reassurance that everything was fine, because after all, they weren’t anything anyway and then headed for the door.  Clearly whatever had been between them was only a flirty moment where he was trying to score a lay and she needed washing supplies.

“Wait, Morgana, please…” he implored as he chased her out the door.  He ran his hand over his hair in anguish, and her anger vanished in the sight of his pain.  “I’m sorry.  I know you don’t deserve me crashing all my problems on you, but… can you talk?”  Morgana grabbed the cigarettes in her pocket and then slid them back in as she realized how desperate he was. 

“How about I listen?”  He nodded and offered her his arm, which she took slowly.  They walked towards the park in silence, not doing anything except listening, and by the time they got to the swings in the moonlight, Morgana couldn’t help herself.  “How do you know my name?  It seems weird, I know, but I don’t remember telling you.  And I’m pretty sure I’d remember.  Not to mention that I’m probably a horrible friend if I DID tell you, because I don’t remember…”

“Your high school jacket has your name printed on the back,” he interrupted calmly.  Morgana lit the cigarette she’d been idly playing with trying to decide if she needed it or not and nodded as she pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose. 

“Yeah.  Okay.  I have moments where I’m a dumb arse.”  She began to swing slowly and then swapped her cigarette to her free fingers and held her hand out to him in greeting.  He took is slowly before understanding lit his eyes.  

“I’m Merlin.”  They sat in silence as she smoked and he stared into the distance.  “I buried my father last week,” he began, and Morgana felt her heart lurch as she silently accused herself of being a self-righteous bitch and then thought about how she’d treated him and looked at her feet guiltily.  “And I don’t even know how I feel about it.”

“You weren’t close?” she asked, more to keep the conversation going.  Merlin shook his head. 

“I… no.  He only found out about me a couple of years back.  And to make it horridly worse…  he got dementia.  So I don’t even really know much about him, or if what he’s told me is even real.”  Morgana reached into her jacket and pulled out a hip flask and offered it to him wordlessly.  He shook his head and also declined the cigarettes she offered as she nervously pulled out another one because this was one of those conversations where chain smoking could be warranted. 

“I think you should know, I read something once that said when people with mental illness, the heartbreaking part was that sometimes it was so important to them that they had to fight through everything that was trying to bring them down just to tell you those few precious words.”  He looked at her and then nodded, slowly. “So whatever he’s told you might not be true, but in some way, it might have been important to him.

“That’s actually really helpful.  Thank you.”  She pursed her lips and began to swing higher.  Merlin followed suit gently. 

“It’s a horrible condition.  Where did he live?”

“Canada,” Merlin said, grabbing the chains of the swing and spinning recklessly in circles.  “I know I’m supposed to be devastated, but I’m not.”  Morgana tilted her head and shrugged.

“You don’t know whether you’re sad or relieved?  That at least now he’s at peace?”  she ventured, and Merlin nodded.  “It’s got to be hard anyway.  It’s not like you had him in your life as a strong fixture for years.  Did he have a new life there, like a new family?”  The question seemed to throw up until he shook his head.

“Not really.  Still pictures of the two of us; every time we met he’d take pictures.  I don’t know if that’s a reaction to the dementia, or not, but he took all these pictures of the two of us together.  We only found one another a few years ago.  I mean, I knew I had a father,” he said, shaking his head as he clarified.  “But he didn’t know about me.  Not until a few years ago.  I guess it makes sense that I don’t know how it affects me now.  I was still learning who he was.  The dementia… changed him, I guess.  There were ludic moments.  And then there were moments when he was completely convinced that he could talk to gold dragons.”  Morgana smiled gently. 

“Better than unicorns, at least.” 

The conversation continued through the night until the clock tower on the other side of the park chimed midnight.   Morgana realised that they’d left their washing in the laundromat, and that it had been closed for an hour.  They stared at one another under the light near the swings and reached an understanding.  Merlin didn’t need to apologise, but Morgana knew he wanted to.  It was enough, somehow. 

“Tomorrow night?”  Merlin ventured in a peace offering.  “My shout for the laundry liquid?”  Morgana shook her head before reconsidering. 

“Sure.  Tomorrow night.”  He hugged her awkwardly, and Morgana impulsively kissed him on the cheek. 

“Things are tough, now, but I promise, they’ll get better.  Or at least easier to deal with.”  He smiled at her words and then opened the door of her car for her.  He kissed her on the top of the head.

“Thanks.  See you tomorrow?”  She waved as she turned the ignition and watched him get into his own car.  “Goddess, what’s wrong with me…?”  She shook her head again and then licked her lips.  She could still taste his kiss.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

The girls had wrangled her out to the laundromat cycle of Saturday nights a couple of weeks later, but had given her plenty of notice.  Merlin had smiled and told her he’d survive with his own dinner for a night, and they’d let it go at that.  It was good to see the girls, she thought as she closed the door behind her from the smoker’s lounge.  The air had been frigid, and as hot as Morgana knew she looked, the frigid gooseflesh along her arms wasn’t exactly eyecatching in the good way.  She worked her way back down to the table and squeezed past Nimueh and Morgause and shimmied in next to Gwen, who was sorting the drinks she’d just bought. 

“So, Laundromat Guy?  Have you shagged him?”  Gwen laughed at Morgana’s horrified expression as Morgause mock innocently waited for a response.  Nimueh took a long drink of her champagne, eyeing Morgana with more than casual predatory interest.  But she smiled politely enough when Morgause glanced back at her.

“What have you know him for, like two months?”  Gwen laughed in disbelief as she slurped at her apple martini, knocking the edge with Morgana’s own in a quick gesture to cheers.  She made out that she understood, but she was always the quieter of the group, far more shy.  Morgana had always liked her, even before they became sisters-in-law.

“Eight days, really,” she murmured, dropping her voice as the songs exchanged a moment of silence between sets.  Nimueh scoffed.

“I’ve slept with guys quicker than that…  girls too” she added, winking at Morgause, who blushed.  Morgana took her glass and began to run her finger around the rim idly, as thoughts of Merlin distractedly filled her mind’s eye. 

“You might want to look into that, Nim…” she noted.  Nimueh grunted and went back to her drink under Morgause’s scowl.  Morgana’s older sister poked her when she turned back to continue the conversation.

“Seriously though, is he working, studying?  What’s his deal?  And why don’t I know more about this guy if it’s serious?”  Morgana held up a hand with a grin at the barrage of questions.

“Easy, sis, he’s studying Vet science, for starters.”  She took another drink and Gwen tilted her head.

“Is he hot?” she asked, before Morgause could unload more questions.  Morgana gave a naughty smirk

“In a geeky sort of way.  He’s adorable, and cute, and every now and again he manages to be sexy.  He looks good in denim.”  Her eyes widened in the darkness of the club.  “And he’s got dreamy cheekbones you just want to touch.”  Nimueh raised an eyebrow. 

“Sounds like fun,” she noted, licking her lips.  Morgana’s eyes narrowed. 

“No poaching, Nim.  Claws off this one.”  Morgause smugly sat back as her sister admonished her part time lover.  Nimueh snorted and ignored her, looking out into the club at the men who were staring right back.  Gwen shook her head.  She’d never liked Nimueh.  Which was understandable, given how Nim had done her best to delve into Arthur’s bed when Gwen and her husband had first gotten together. 

‘You can take the girl out of the valley, but if the whole valleys filled the girl…” she murmured, unfortunately just loud enough to be heard.  Nim’s eyes widened and Morgause smiled into her drink.  Morgana high-fived her. 

“Nice!” she couroused as Nim protested wordlessly.  She threw her hands out in mocking sacrifice and knocked over her drink.  It only took a second and the bartender came over, refilling it.  He gave Gwen a look and a mock bow, looking like a Spanish sex god. 

“Let me know if I can do anything else for you,” he drawled low, leaning towards her.  Gwen bit her lip and looked away, hiding her smile as Nim put a hand on the man’s hip, boldly smiling at him invitingly.  

“What I wouldn’t have given to have rolled that hard and put it away wet before I met Arthur,” Gwen bemoaned to her drink.  Nim smiled predatorially then.

“Don’t worry, honey, I’ll give him a run and let you know how he is, so you don’t have to!”  it wasn’t a hard edge to her tone, but the others had no hesitation that she would have done it, if only to get a rise out of Gwen.  The chocolate skinned beauty smiled gently.

“Because that worked so well for you last time, with Arthur?” she smiled, sweetly.  Arthur had told her to fuck off, in succinct tones that had made Gwen want to drag him to bed then and there. 

“You’d best give up here, Nim.  You’re slightly outclassed, I’d say.”  Morgana laughed and touched her friend’s wrist across the table to let her know she was teasing, and Morgause leaned back, dropping her hand to Nim’s thigh.  Nim immediately smiled and laughed genuinely, dropping her own hand to hold Morgause’s fingers.  For all that Nim had a past and was talk, she only said what she did because Morgause kept refusing to commit to her and it hurt.  They all knew that, and even Gwen, so often the butt of her jokes because of her reserved gentleness, forgave her for that on account of the happiness that Morgause and Nimueh clearly evoked in one another.

“So what are you doing with him, Laundromat Guy,” Gwen clarified, pointing her nose towards Morgana’s glass, which was still full.  She bent low to take another drink.  She was pleasantly buzzed, but all this talk of Merlin was getting to her.  She wanted to explain, but couldn’t find the words to herself.  “Are you going to do something more than talk to him?” 

“He’s had a bit of a rough trot,” she defended.  “He buried his father last week.”  Gwen’s face instantly crumpled in sympathy, and Morgause’s fell slightly less hard.  Nimueh, much to Morgana’s surprise, perked up. 

“Ooh, the broken ones can be fun!” she enthused.  “You become their whole world when you treat them better.”  Morgana ignored her while Gwen shrugged pointedly.

“If you’re making him feel better, what’s the harm in a little simple fun?  You’re both consenting adults, after all.”  Gwen gave her a soft smile of encouragement even as Morgana shook her head.

“I’d be taking advantage of him,” she said, even as Morgause scoffed. 

“As if any man wouldn’t take advantage of you if the situation is reversed.  I’m telling you, I agree with Gwen, go scratch your itch with him, and then see if he still hangs around.  If he does, I’ll buy two full rounds next time.”  That brought a chorus of catcalls as Morgana finished her drink of got up to buy the next round.  She stood at the bar for a moment and then looked back at the table.  The apple taste in her mouth wasn’t going away, and she felt good; really good.  Maybe it wouldn’t hurt anyone, unless he liked it like that.  Sometimes she did.  Morgana pulled out her phone and messaged Gwen.

_Got an itch to see if Morgause will buy the next round.  Luv U.  xoxo_

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

Walking to the laundromat had been a good idea.  Drinking beforehand in a warm club wearing a skin tight green dress that left NOTHING to the imagination had been a great idea.  Combining the two was proving to be less successful, Morgana noted as she tried to remember where the laundromat was in relation to her apartment.  She’d walked to the club, so it couldn’t be far.  It took her three goes and two hours, but she found it.  They were going to close soon, she figured, and only Merlin was still there.  He was sock sorting in another printed tee and looked sexy with his hair askew and his cheekbones biting into his soft smile as he shook his head at her and let her in.  The door had been trying to refute her, but Merlin got her in.  He was so nice, always opening the door for her.  She giggled as she hung onto the door and leaned back against it, rising one leg up as she stared at him.  Merlin stepped back away from her, fighting a losing battle against where she wanted his eyes to go.  He could see she’d been drinking.  Her scent was strong and intoxicating from her walk and the alcohol raising her temperature.  It was Tahition Sunset, a mix of fresh rain and frangipanis, and it licked off her skin and reached out to him as she stared at him.  She watched him want her and fight with it.  Her chest moved to catch her breath, and Morgana watched as he paled at her bitten lip.  Her nipples began to get hard and Morgana breathed out and pushed off the door, stepping up to him and leaning up onto her tiptoes and silently kissing at the corner of his mouth.  Her hands reached up and gripped his collar, pulling him down to her even as she pulled back. 

“You have no idea how badly I want this,” he cautioned.  Morgana stopped and then kissed his chin again, sliding her body against him and kissing his neck.  She watched a tiny pulse on his neck begin to speed up as she breathed heavily against him and softly moaned.  “Morgana…” he begged, not pushing her away. 

“What’s the problem,” she asked playfully, her hand trailing down to his hip and moving across the front of his jeans.  Merlin let out a strangled moan. 

“You’ve been drinking.  And I’m a mess,” he defended, begging her off.  Morgana looked up into his face and gave a lopsided grin, her lips inches from his as he looked at her, desire making his eyes wide and dark. 

“So…” she began, breathing heavily against his lips and reaching up to kiss him again.  “What if I got drunk so that I’d have the confidence to kiss you, because I’ve been wanting to do it for weeks now…” 

“I can’t answer questions like that,” he moaned hoarsely.  Morgana loved the effect she was having on him.  She could almost feel the pressure of his cock against her leg.  She leaned closer, pulling their hips together and felt him there.  She gave a small gasp of satisfaction. 

“That’s answer enough, Merlin.  I know what you want to do to me.  But I’ll humor you.  You know I can make you feel better.”  He nodded and she leaned up to kiss him again, but Merlin touched the side of her face gently.  A crack appeared in her façade as she leaned in to his touch and then her eyes snapped open. 

“About life, sure.  But I don’t sleep with drunk girls, Morgana.  No matter how much I might want to, and how beautiful they are and how much I feel like I want to drown in her.  But like I said, I can’t answer that question.”  Morgana could feel things in her chest starting to churn, as if a dam was about to burst, and then her eyes hardened in her drunken haze.

“Why not?” she demanded harshly, as though cheated out of the last chocolate piece.  Merlin shook his head in defeat. 

“Because I’m afraid of the answer.”  She tilted his head up as he trailed off and kissed him, fully and with no teasing.  Merlin hesitated for a split second before kissing her back.  She wrapped her legs and arms about him and devoured him, opening her mouth and moaning into his kiss. 

“Take me back to your place.”

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

They got into his car hurriedly and Morgana couldn’t keep her hands off him.  The buzz of the alcohol was gone now, and she still wanted Merlin badly.  His tracksuit pants weren’t hiding anything and she grabbed him even as he drove, squeezing him as he moved his hips back and forth in the seat.  It took far too long, and Morgana didn’t even bother with her seatbelt as they moved through the streets and she ravaged his neck and chest.  She tapped her nails on the bulge in his pants with a little hum of satisfaction as they went under a street lamp, illuminating the sheen on her thighs in the dress and the dark spot on his pants.  Morgana bit her lip again and writhed in the seat, feeling herself even as Merlin moaned her name and fidgeted in the seat.  Merlin lived on the other side of the park they’d sat on the swings at, but they barely made it into the drive when she was dragging him inside, throwing him against the wall and ravaging him, scratching and biting at every inch of flesh she could rip the clothing off of.  Merlin was shaking his head in desperation. 

“Morgana, if you regret this in the morning, I’ll never forgive myself, for the love of all that’s uhg…!” he broke off as she shoved her hand into his pants and squeezed him.  Merlin swallowed hoarsely and his knees buckled slightly.  Morgana pressed herself against him and licked at his mouth until he kissed her. 

“Lets find out how far your no sex rule can bend,” she murmured against his mouth, and Merlin moaned and his hips jerked.  Morgana looked at him in surprise and delight as she felt a filmy fluid shoot against her hand.  She brought her fingers up and licked them clean as Merlin shook his head in denial. 

“Precum already, Merlin?  Someone likes what I’m doing to him,” she murmured wickedly.  She considered her fingers for a moment and then began to tug his pants down.  She stared in fascination as the eye of his cock wept at her, looking up at him.  “You really DO want me, don’t you, Merlin?”

“It’s…” he gasped as she squeezed his shaft in her fingers, and then stared into her eyes, his will breaking apart against his unyielding desire for her.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know what I’m doing.”  She smiled and leaned in close, kissing him again.  Merlin grabbed the back of her head and roughly kissed her, possessively sucking and raking his teeth along her tongue.  Morgana leaned back, her eyes bright with lust.

“You’re not doing anything, yet. Let me do this.  I want to do this for you.”  Merlin moaned and turned away, nodding once.  Morgana dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth, sliding her hands up to wrap about his shaft and his balls.  Merlin gasped loudly and Morgana began to work her hands and head, sucking and working at him.  He grabbed her and she leaned back, lifting a thumb to graze the underside of his head.  Merlin muttered incoherently and she smiled, licking her lips. 

“You can’t touch me, Merlin.  Not until I’m done.  Then you’re going to do a lot more to me.”  She leaned back in and pulled his balls as she enveloped his cock in her mouth and Merlin reached up, grabbing his hair and snarling to himself even as his hips started to shake.  He tasted clean and faintly of soap in her mouth, but it was his shaking need for her that was getting her off.  Morgana could feel his hips shaking and moving slightly as he struggled against what she was doing to him, and when she leaned back and moved her thumb over the underside seam again, Merlin’s hoarse breathing stopped for a moment as he struggled.  Morgana reached between her legs and ran a finger along her lips and brought it back up, running it around his meaty head and then pushing her tongue ring out and spreading his hole wide.  She pushed it inside and Merlin’s hips slammed back against the wall and thrust forward as he erupted with cum, exploding into her mouth and falling away back down against the wall.  His cock pulsed again, shooting another spurt of cum onto her chest and then yet another past her onto the floor as he collapsed.  She licked her lips and cleaned him off her top with a wicked smile as he stared at her in complete shock.

“Someone DOES like that… and you do taste good.”  She laughed.  Merlin blinked several times and then looked away to the mess of himself.  He struggled to put his pants back on over the mess of his crotch and his hands shook as he stared at her. 

“I’m sorry…  I don’t…  that was…”  His words tumbled over one another and she got up, shimmying her dress back down over her hips.  She held a hand against the wall as the world spun and then she smiled as it swam back into focus. 

“Don’t apologise, Merlin,” she giggled.  “I got what I wanted, tonight.  Just think.  If it had of just been about sex, you could have said no.”  She went back to the door and opened it, looking back at him as he stared at her, dumbfounded, and blew him a kiss with a wink as she closed the door quietly.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

Morning came far too quickly and she realised just how much she’d screwed everything up almost as soon as she opened her eyes.  Morgana eyed the dress soaking in the bucket with anger and contemplated throwing it out.  She chose Sunday clothes; ripped jeans and sandals with an oversized jumper and a shower that washed away almost everything of the night before.  At least her head had stopped pounding by the time she dragged herself out of the scalding water and brushed her teeth.  She stared at the reflection and its black hole sized pockets beneath her bloodshot eyes. 

“You’re such an idiot.  How many times did he say no?”  She owed him an apology.  Face the music and get it over and done with.  Morgana looked out the window and greeted the rainy, overcast day with appreciation, given how her mood was.  Steeling herself over a cup of coffee and forgoing the morning cigarette, she made her way back to the laundromat and tried to figure out if she was glad that his wagon was there or not.  But if it was ruined, she wanted it over and done with.  Band Aid principle.  Faster you get it over with, the better off you’ll be.  Merlin had come to mean a lot to her, and she didn’t want to hang around and wait for the guillotine to drop.  She steeled herself at the door and looked up to see his face gently smiling at her as he pushed the door open, moving her backwards. 

“Hey.”  His greeting was gentle and soft, as if he knew how mollified she was.  Morgana blinked at its friendly tone, too.  He wasn’t mocking or teasing.  It was as if he’d just missed her and wanted to reconnect, instead of witnessing her desperate slut act.  Participating in her desperate slut act, she corrected herself. 

“Hi,” she said, smiling in spite of herself at her kittenish reaction.  It was part of why she’d acted like that last night.  He made her nervous, and she needed to take control back from him. 

“I have no idea what to say,” he began.  Morgana shook her head as his eyes roved over her body.  It still didn’t turn her off, the way he did it, because he was appreciating her, instead of wishing he was fucking her. 

“Don’t say anything.  Let’s just…”  She shrugged.  “Let’s just chalk it up to too many drinks and a bad idea that wasn’t so bad after all?”  Her laughed then, and a bubble burst, as if everything was going to be fine again.  Morgana felt a sense of wonder at how easy he made everything. 

“I wasn’t going to tell you I was in love with you.  But it’s out in the open now, I guess.  I’m not crazy, right?  There’s… something here?”  He left it there for her, and she nodded, smiling. 

“Yeah.  I don’t do that with just everyone, you know.”  His eyes opened to wide and he made to protest, but she waved his concern away.  “But…” she blushed.  She’d been so wild last night, but this morning, just thinking about flirting made her blush.  Morgana pushed forwards, trying for a shadow of the boldness she’d found last night.  “There IS something you can do for me?” 

“Oh, ANYTHING,” he said mockingly.  Morgana hit him on the shoulder and he hoisted his laundry bag over it and they began to walk back to his car. 

“I’ve got a girlfriend’s wedding thing coming up.  Re-enactment thing.  They eloped and we’re finally doing a reception thing, but it means I should do a speech.  You’re good with words, right?  You being a writer?”  He nodded, frowning before it clicked. “Could you help me write a speech?” 

“I would have done that anyway, if you’d asked?” He smiled when he said it and bumped her companionably in the shoulder.  She pulled his keys from his belt and hit the boot button, letting the door open so he didn’t have to free his hands.  He smiled at her in thanks. 

“I didn’t suck your life away because I wanted you to write a speech for me, Merlin,” she laughed lowly, finding a blush at her boldness again.  Merlin’s ears went adorably red and he began to stutter, clearly flustered.  She laughed sweetly and lightly touched his wrist. 

“Jesus, Merlin, you’re acting like it’s your first blowjob.”  A frantic look came and went on his face, and Morgana’s eyes widened in shock and her teasing tone dropped.  Her face softened and she looked away, not wanting to see his expression anymore.  But her hand stayed on his wrist.  “How… was I?” 

“You don’t want me to answer that,” murmured Merlin.  For a second, she thought he meant that she wasn’t exactly memorable, but that didn’t match up with how it had happened, and his expression when it had. 

“Did you fall in love?” she laughed off-hand.  Merlin shrugged, but his expression was serious. 

“You’re laughing at me,” he admonished, and Morgana nodded slowly. 

“I suppose I am,” she said softly, and smiled to herself.  “Guys like you… sweet guys… I guess I forgot that you’re out there.”  Merlin carefully didn’t respond to the connotation about her past implicit in that sentence. 

“I… you think I’m sweet?” he asked in mocking disappointment.  Morgana smiled as he meant her to and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What would you rather I think of you?” 

“Sexy wouldn’t hurt.  Irresistible.  Smart.  Some kind of combination of all three wouldn’t hurt,” he said glibly, pretending to consider it.  She looked him full in the face and Merlin stopped his deflecting and smiled gently at her.  Something dark flickered in her eyes and she turned away.

“I need a smoke.”  She pulled the packet out of her jacket pocket and headed out the door to light up.  Merlin followed her out and looked up into the sky, staring at the stars peeking out from behind racing clouds reflecting the lights of the city.  Morgana shook her head.  He really was sweet.  And not at all like any of the other guys she’d known.  Was probably totally put off by her attitude, as well.  She took a long drag and watched the smoke curl up into the air.  “You must think I’m a real slut.”  Merlin cringed at her harshness, but didn’t answer for a long time. 

“What I think is that nobody’s given a shit about you for your whole life.  So you don’t know how to handle it when someone does.  Everyone just wants a piece of you, either your time or your body, and so you use that.  If it was only ever about sex, then it can’t possibly matter, something like that?”  Her fingers shook as she took another drag, and Merlin’s eyes bored into her, seeing right through her.  It was intoxicating when he looked at her like that, as though there was no other person on the face of the earth, just her, in his eyes.  “And you’re trying too hard to be tough, and you’re overcompensating because of it.  No.  I don’t think you’re a slut.  I think you’re desperate for everyone to believe that, because then they can’t see if you’re hurting.  You’re protecting yourself.”  Morgana flicked the cigarette stub away and turned back to him, blinking rapidly.

“About done, are you, Freud?”  Merlin sighed at her defensive tone, and she crossed her arms in front of her.  He hesitated for a second before stepping up and enfolding her in his arms.  Morgana was more stunned at the soft intimacy of his embrace than at its suddenness.  He held her until she put her head on his shoulder and her arms snaked around his waist inside his jacket.  Somehow his arms shifted, pulling her in deeper, and she breathed shakily before pulling back a little to look up into his eyes.   

‘Morgana, I’m not…”

“My units being…”  she searched for an excuse for a moment.  “Fumigated.  Would you mind if I crashed on your couch for the night?”  He didn’t answer as he stared into her eyes, but his soft blue didn’t judge her.  His fingers reached up and touched a strand of her black curls that caressed her cheekbones.  He nodded, his eyes staying on hers and not dropping to her lips like she almost wanted them to. 

“Yeah.  I’ll take the couch though.”  He went back inside the laundromat and grabbed his bag before returning and holding out a hand to her.  “Your carriage awaits, milady.”

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

He didn’t know what woke him.  It could have been any number of things.  He’d never slept on the couch, not really although he’d dozed off on it several times.  It could have been the thunderstorm gleefully raging outside, but rain had never bothered him before.  He rubbed his face and got a glass of ABC juice from the fridge.  The bitter sharpness was ice cold and the purple liquid looked black in the pale light coming in through the lounge room window.  His bedroom door was ajar, and no light was on, so he stepped quietly down the hallway to check on Morgana.  She sat on the desk by the window, watching the storm.  It was open slightly, and she blew a mouthful of smoke out, watching it escape through the vent and out into the night.

“Alright then?” he asked gently, so as not to scare her.  She didn’t turn, and he realised she was sitting bare legged in one of his old Excalibur Uni jerseys.  It was an enticing sight, but her face was pensive as she flicked the butt out the window. 

“I watched Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct when I was young.  A lot of things were happening then, and most of them bad.”  She stared at the pack of cigarettes on the desk by her foot.  “I watched Catherine Tremell utterly control everyone in her life with sex and smokes.  She made me question my sexuality so fast it should have been illegal.”  Merlin smiled gently as he sat down on the end of the bed.  She turned and took in his shirtless appearance and then down at her own bare legs and the ghost of a smile came across her face.  “Catherine Tremell was my spirit animal, and I learned her well.  They never tell you what you don’t get, though.  She’s the bad bitch that gets away with it all in the end.  Spoiler alert; I didn’t get a chance to learn from her mistakes, because I was too busy remaking them.”  Merlin looked down at his hands in his lap and shrugged.  “You’re the first guy I’ve ever been near that wasn’t interested in bending me over before he wanted to know my name.  How bad is that?” 

“Sorry?” he drawled in question.  Morgana smiled, turning her face to the open window and the light pouring through it.  Around this side of the unit, the street side, he’d always had to keep the blinds down because the streetlight was directly outside. 

“Don’t be.  Why apologise for being better?”   She stood up and made her way over to him, sitting down and coquettishly curling her legs under her.  Merlin turned on the bed to face her and she stared at him before looking away and shaking her head.  “I’m a mess.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” he instantly forgave her, or disagreed.  It was difficult to tell in the dark.  Shadows played across his face, whereas she was facing the light coming in from the window.  “If your life is ugly, it’s only to offset the beauty of your light.  I don’t think you’re a mess.  And if you are, so what?  There’s a lot more to be said for strong character than firm thighs.”  His eyes did drop then, and he flashed her a grin.  “Not that you’re lacking in that department either, of course…”  Morgana laughed and lightly hit his arm. 

“Stop it, I’m being serious.  How can you just… I mean, aren’t guys supposed to be shy when they like someone?” she whined comically.  Merlin shrugged and his smile disappeared into his sombre face.

“What do I have to lose?   I don’t know how else to speak to you.  It’s what I feel.”  Morgana tossed her hair over her shoulder and was rewarded with a change in his expression as he caught her bare shoulder.  She tucked it away in the back of her mind, and then hated herself for thinking about manipulating Merlin when that was exactly what they were talking about. 

“I don’t know what to say because anything I do say is going to seem contrived,” she whispered.  Merlin laughed.  “The things you say…  I don’t know what to believe but I know you say them sincerely.  I just…  what guy says those things and doesn’t expect something in return?” she asked softly. 

“I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he admitted with simple honesty that struck her deeply.  She looked away again and then realised what she was doing.  “I know you don’t think so.  Your rose-coloured glasses are more like black ink than rose.  You see only the horrid side of you.” 

“And what do you see?” she asked quietly after a moment.  Merlin steadied himself and touched her leg.  It wasn’t in a sexual way, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a genuine blush crawl up her cheeks and blinked as her eyes grew hot. 

“Every unopened hurt.  Every unshed tear,” he shrugged.  “I see the tough, bitchy shield you put around yourself.  And I see how brittle it turns when I do this.”  He lifted his hand from her leg and gently touched her chin.  Morgana looked down and away and his hand again touched her chin, drawing her back towards him.  He lifted his thumb to graze her lips and she opened then slightly.  He leaned in and kissed her, touching her lips with his and feeling her move to him as his hands spread wider on her face, cradling her neck and kissing her with maddening gentleness.  He can taste the cigarette, but kisses her anyway.  Gently, with slow motions, he leaned in and she melted against his body.  It was like he was making love to her for her first time again, and the role reversal seemed at once ludicrous and perfect.  He was the experienced lover and she was lost in his patience and care.  Merlin took her hair in his hands and pulled her down on top of him, rolling over so that she could see his face.  His sincerity and joy in her touched her deeply and she couldn’t stop the tears that began to slide down her face.  Merlin’s kissing stopped and his arms came around her again, protecting her from the world with no words.  The light shone through the rain splattered window, and the shadows looked like tears on her cheeks as Merlin brought her close to his face and kissed her forehead.  She could feel him through his thin pyjama pants, but he made to move to make love to her.  She stayed in his arms until she couldn’t stand it anymore. 

“I need you, Merlin.  I need this.  Please.”  She pulled his top off, using it to clear the tears from her cheeks and leaning down to kiss him again.  There were no more tears as he kissed her gently and moved back up the bed under the covers with her.  She curled her leg over his thigh and pushed his pants down and off.  He gasped under her fingers and stared at her in wonder. 

The rain kissed the roof long after they were finished, and Morgana lay in his arms, a soft smile on her face and contentment in every part of her.

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

The next morning, she woke slowly, drawn out of her languid doze by the smell of bacon and toast.  Music of a decidedly boppy nature floated down the hallway from the kitchen and Morgana rubbed her eyes and looked around.  She didn’t know where any of her clothes were, and she quickly ascertained that she wasn’t wearing enough to meet the day quite yet.  She wrapped herself in the soft throwover and then spied an open closet door.  She pulled the cord to turn on the light and stared at Merlin’s closet.  Ramshackle filing system aside, she quickly pulled a tattered jumper from one of the shelves and looked at the result in the mirror.  One should peeked out delectably and her bed hair looked just messy enough to be stylish without the horror of a bird’s nest that their lovemaking acrobatics should have created.  It also showed enough of her legs to distract him a little bit, if the bites on her inner thighs were anything to go by.  He’d paid particular attention to her legs and shoulders and hair last night, so with that combination looking acceptable, Morgana steeled herself for the “morning after” conversation and tiptoed down the hall. 

In the kitchen, Merlin was busy doing strange dance moves to Call Me Al, by Paul Simon.  He energetically bopped as he moved about, checking the toast and dancing to the frying pan to check the bacon.  Morgana bit her lip and leaned against the doorway as she watched him, oblivious as he danced to the music coming out of his headphones that was so loud, she’d been able to hear it in bed still.  He wore a simple blue linen shirt and jeans with bare feet, but looked utterly adorable to her, especially with his hair askew from sleep.  When he turned suddenly and pointed finger guns at the toaster just in time for it to pop up ready, Morgana burst out in laughter, startling him.  Merlin looked shamefaced as he took the earplugs out and gave her a sickly smile.  The smile drained off his face as he took in her predicated glory.  His hand stretched out towards the pan handle to shift the bacon again as his eyes lingered on her legs and almost regretfully moved upwards.  He swore when his fingertips touched the actual side of the pan instead of the handle and Morgana pushed off the doorway and moved to him, taking his finger in her mouth and sucking on it before leading him to the tap and thrusting his hand under the cold water.

“Not exactly the way I wanted to wake you up,” he admitted softly, still staring at her in wonder.  Morgana smiled at him so hard that her cheeks hurt before leaning up and in and kissing him lingeringly on the lips. 

“No need for nerves, Merlin.  I’m here, when ordinarily I’d be gone, so trust me.  I stayed, and it’s all new, and that’s on you.”  She kissed the corner of his mouth that dimpled into a smile. 

“Yeah, so no pressure then.”  She laughed as he meant her to, and then he shrugged.  “Just not really wanting to ruin anything, that’s all.”  Morgana pinched a sliver of bacon and hissed as the oil burnt her fingertips.  She bit into it delicately and looked back at Merlin, who was pouring two glasses of ABC juice with a quizzical expression. 

“Meaning?” she queried, lifting her glass in thanks. Merlin scoffed and put the toast back down to finish off its golden hue. 

“Do you know what it’s like wanting to explode around you?  Just vent everything you’re evoking in me and show you everything you’ve done to me in the last 12 hours?  I don’t want to scare you off, so I’m hiding how crazy I am about you,” he finished matter-of-factly.  “Trying,” he amended after the kitchen fell silent.  He opened the over door and put the bacon in the dry heat to keep it warm before cracking four eggs into the pan of bacon grease and realizing that Morgana hadn’t said anything.  He turned around just as she grabbed his ribs and slid into his embrace. 

“Don’t,” she breathed as her lips sought his.  Merlin’s hands grabbed at her hair and crushed her to him in a searing kiss that held all the heat and none of the sweetness of last night.  Morgana pulled him down onto the floor with a feverish intensity and refused to stop kissing him.  Her nails clawed at his jeans and pulled them down over his rear.  Merlin surged forward into her embrace and slid inside her with a gasp as she grunted in satisfaction.  Her lips curled into a smile as she kissed him and her nails arced across his back.  The passionate intensity of it took the hours of last night and compressed them into ravishment of a few moments.  Morgana arched up and he hissed as she bit down hard, pressing her teeth together and gasping aloud his name in a low moan.  Her arms wrapped around him and Morgana leaned forward, settling her teeth into his shoulder and beginning to shake.  Incredulously, she opened her eyes wide as she felt herself beginning to climax already, and struggled to contain it until Merlin realised what was happened and increased his tempo.  Morgana shook and moaned soundlessly as her world shook and bit down hard on Merlin’s shoulder.  He gasped low and thrust deeply into her, filling her with scalding heat and crushing to her chest, heaving breaths in her arms and mixing their sweat.  He pulled himself off of her too soon and she could see the veins in his arms standing wide and pulsing as the aftershocks still ran through him.  She could feel him within her and moved her hips up to him, wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him in closer. 

“D-don’t want to hurt you,” he stammered, and she kissed him, pulling him down on top of her chest and nestling him between her breasts as he caught his breath. 

“You won’t.  You’re just perfect, Merlin.  Don’t worry about it.”  She tapped her fingers on his bottom and slapped him lightly while he looked askance at her innocent expression.  She giggled into his smiling kiss and then sighed in happiness as he rolled them over, but it didn’t last.  He jerked his hips and hissed at the cold tiles until she kissed him again, softly this time.  Merlin forgot about the icy feeling of the tiles punching into his kidneys and fell into kissing her.  Morgana chased his lips and the kissing turned into contented nuzzling until the smoke alarm suddenly blared into a screaming diatribe.  Merlin scrambled up and nearly fell over his pants as he tried to wave the smoke away from the detector, and opened the window with one hand while he dragged his jeans up over his hips with the other, holding them together and looked back at Morgana, who calmly doused the burning egg pan in the sink and moved away from the angry spitting oil and black flecks of burnt egg.  She raised an eyebrow at him with a lazy smile that had his heart beating fast again. 

“Eating out?”

∞∞Ŧ∞∞

Merlin took them to a café that he’d passed several times and had always wanted to go to, with a lovely terrace view and garden done in an artistic triskelion theme that he enjoyed immensely.  Morgana had her feet up on his lap and wore his jumper still, but because of public nudity laws, had made sure to grab a pair of his jeans as well.  They sat loose, but she stole one of his belts as well and was currently doctoring it using an appropriated docket slip spike.  Merlin stared at her in wonder. 

“You’re really pretty.”  Her eyes lifted at his compliment and then her face softened.  Merlin smiled sadly and leaned back in the sunlight that broke through the clouds. 

“What’s wrong?” she questioned, seeing his face and the sadness in his smile.  Merlin shrugged before squinting at her in the glare of the sunlight. 

“The last time I was with someone… lets just say they didn’t love being seen with me much outdoors.  I was more of a… time filler, I guess.  It’s hard to trust people’s motive’s when stuff like that happens.  I guess that’s why I understand your trust issues.  I’ve got a few of my own.”  Morgana wriggled her heel on his thigh and touched his stomach with her toes. 

“I like you, Merlin.  I like who you are.  I want to spend more time with you.  I’m trying things your way, trying the whole “just live life as you like with who you like” thing.  I’m willing to go as far as you are.  As for wench-features, well, I don’t know what her problem is, and I don’t care.”  She sniffed and reached for her coffee. 

“I do.  She wasn’t you.”  She froze at Merlin’s smug tone and glared at him above her smile. 

“You need to stop doing that.  How am I going to get angry with you if you keep making my stomach do backflips?”  Merlin licked his bottom lip and grinned, suddenly looking very sexy. 

“How is that fair?  I’ll trade you the butterflies you give me for the backflips your stomach does.”  Morgana bit her lip and Merlin’s expression darkened hungrily.  “Butterflies can be voracious in bed, you know.  You should keep that in mind when you go being all enticing like that.  If you’re being all kissable, then I’m not responsible for my actions,” he sighed dramatically.  Morgana laughed fully and held her hand out.  Merlin took it and gently kissed her palm and she looked earnestly at him, acknowledging that he was one of the good ones.  Merlin tilted his head as he stared at her.

“Want to do laundry tomorrow night?” he asked, smiling intimately with her.  Morgana broke out into a smile so bright that Merlin wondered how he’d ever been alive without it.

“Yeah.  I do.  I really do.”

Fin


End file.
